Runaways Brought Home
by tkdprincess96
Summary: Sequel to "Speak Now". Arthur and Gwen ran off to Ealdor, and have a family now. Five years later, the Knights of Camelot storm in, and demand that Arthur come with them, but not Gwen. How will Arthur react to beign seperated from his wife?
1. Prologue

**Hey, here is the sequel for my one-shot, Speak Now. You can probably follow without reading, just keep in mind that Morgana isn't evil, and instead of Arthur protesting in "The Changeling" it was Gwen, and they ran away together. This story picks up five years after the fact.**

**And now, on with the story.**

Prologue:

Five years had passed.

Five years since Arthur had been engaged to marry Princess Elena.

Five years since Gwen had jumped in, desperate.

Five years since Arthur had taken off.

Five years since they ran away from Camelot.

Five years ago, Arthur had turned from prince to farmer.

Now, they lived in Ealdor.

They watched over Hunith, and lived next door. Of course, Merlin had come home for a visit once, and promised that he wouldn't say a word to anyone as to their whereabouts, not even Morgana or Gaius. And that was definitely a hard decision for him, as he was horrible with secrets. At least, that was what they still thought, still oblivious to Merlin's magic.

Five years since Gwen had become a wife and four since she became a mother for the first time. They had their second child two years ago, and Gwen was three months along with their third. And she made it clear that there would most likely not be a fourth and definitely not a fifth.

In that time, Arthur proved himself to be a good husband, and just as good a father. He loved Caldby, the eldest, his son and heir, and Aldora, his two year old daughter, a little sweetheart. Caldby took after his father, always waving a stick around, pretending to fight with a sword, and always getting into mischief. He had his mother's brown hair and eyes, though his nose, mouth, and chin were his father's.

Aldora was a bubbling little child, crawling all over, loving everyone, and kind to everyone, just like her mother. She had dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and her grandfather Uther's features, with a sprinkle of her parents' features as well. Gwen and Arthur loved their children, and were glad that they had come to Ealdor to be together. It was their home now, and nothing could take them from it.


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry that it's been a while, but I was busy. BTW, I might become even slower with updating because of my school play. We're doing a production of "Seussical" and I have four minor parts. A.K.A., busy all week. But I will do my best, even if I have to stay up later than I do already.**

**Now, on with the story!**

Chapter 1

"Papa, Papa!" two children raced through the wheat, one boy, one girl. They looked alike enough to be siblings, both with dark hair, though the girl's was lighter. A man a few feet over looked up, smiling when he recognized the voices rushing towards him.

"Caldby, Aldora, what are you doing here?" The children's father squatted down as they reached him, taking them into his arms and standing quickly, simultaneously spinning. The siblings laughed loudly, giggling like crazy. The man put them down after a few protests from the girl, who apparently could be fussy over the state of her dress or hair.

"Just like your Aunt Morgana, you. Always worrying about your hair and clothes." the man teased lightly as he ruffled his daughter's hair. Then he grew quiet, thinking about his foster sister. The girl looked up at him expectantly.

"You, mummy, and Uncle Merlin always talk about her, and yet you never tell us anything, or let us see her. Why?"

Arthur smiled sadly at his insightful little girl. She saw so much, and never missed a thing that went by her. And so mature and wise, it was hard to remember that she was only two. They could blame Merlin the idiot for that. On his last visit he had brought a simple book with him, and she was trying to get through the words, though she was very close to succeeding. With a sigh, he proceeded to give his children the same explanation as he and Gwen always used. "She's in Camelot, and we can't go there. At least not without endangering you girls."

Caldby puffed out his chest. "Don't worry papa, I can take care of the girls for you while you bring her here. We'll keep them safe away from the big, bad Uther." Arthur smiled lightly at his son's words. He was a prince at heart, though he did not know. When Gwen found out she was pregnant with Caldby, she and Arthur had discussed the matter, and decided not to tell their children that they were royalty until they were old enough. Besides, they were in Ealdor, and the people that remembered Kanen also knew to keep it secret. The children would not need to know until Arthur could take the throne again. Or should something happen to him, Caldby. But until it was necessary, his children were not going to know of their status. It had given him a big head and turned him into a complete and utter prat, according to many people. Especially Merlin and Morgana.

Off in the distance, Arthur's trained eye saw smoke, as if from a campfire. And then flashes of red and armor, riding through the trees on horses. _It couldn't be_. Arthur's face showed the panic that he felt for a moment before smoothing into a mask of calm and indifference. He glanced down at his children, who were frowning, having seen the panic on his face. In a hard voice he ordered. "Go home quickly, and let no one see you, and I mean _no one_. Do you understand?" at his children's frantic nod, he continued. "And tell your mother that the dragons have returned. The status is unknown. Now go. Now!" he added, seeing the fear on their faces. He regretted snapping at them, but if Uther knew of their existence, they would have to worry about more than having a big head.

Caldby and Aldora sprinted through the grain, urgency rushing through their bodies. They _needed_ to get to Mama, and quickly. The fear and panic that was on their Papa's face had proved that. Though what did he mean about the dragons returning? They had heard Mama call Papa "Pendragon" once, but that was it. Of course, they knew stories about dragons, mostly from Uncle Merlin, but they were few and far between. And status? They had been taught from an early age to strategize and plan ahead, using codes for emergency. They had been taught to be both farmers and warriors, using skills from either group to supplement what the other did not. In a court, both would look at home, as well as in the fields. They had been groomed to blend in, and stay safe. Of course, neither child knew this, but their parents did, and ensured this remained this way. Of course, with Arthur as a father, and Gwen as a mother, this type of upbringing was bound to happen. They did need to know this all one day, might as well teach them without them knowing?

The flashes of red and armor grew more frequent, and the children having seen what their father saw, hurried faster. Those people were the reason why their Papa was acting funny, and had wanted them to be with Mama. Obviously he thought that they were in danger, and was counting on Caldby to protect the girls. At least, that was what was running through Caldby's mind as he dragged his sister home, who was asking him to slow down. He paid her no attention, focusing on getting home, and finding out what his Papa meant. He could listen to his sister at home, while Mama was entertaining her and he was keeping watch at the door. That was what Papa did whenever there was danger in the village. And of course, Caldby stayed up with Papa, faking sleep for as long as he could before succumbing. Hey, he was only four! What did they want of him?

He and Aldora stumbled in front of their house, before rushing inside to deliver the message to Mama. Mama looked up from the pot of stew she had been stirring for that day's lunch, her hair frizzy from the heat. She rose, ready to scold her children, but stopped at the looks on their faces.

"Mama," started Caldby, "papa said that the dragons were returning. What did he mean Mama?"

Gwen paled, and held the chair nearest her for support. The knights of Camelot were coming? Why? How many, who was there, and most importantly, was Uther with them?

"Sweetie," Gwen forced out, terrified, "what did your father say the status was?"

"Unknown."

Gwen suppressed a shudder. "Sweethearts, I need you to stay in the house and hide. Some bad men from Camelot are coming, so I need to make sure that you are safe. Go under the bed and stay there until your papa or I come get you. Or if we can't get here, then Hunith. Understand?" Gwen grabbed her children and practically pushed them down to the bed. "I love you both." She hugged them quickly, and rushed out to meet Arthur and pray that this would turn out to be nothing, that he was mistaken. But he never was. Especially about his own men.


	3. Temporary Chapter

Ok, I know that I said that I would put up real chapters later, but here's another Author's Note, and depending on what story you are reading, it may only be here for a while.

It has been a long time since I have updated any of my stories. I know this, and am trying to find my muse after several years. My Merlin and Percy Jackson Muses are coming back, and Harry Potter is drudging along, slowly but surely (I hope!). I also recently cleaned out my room, and found my old story and chapter plans that I wrote out. They will be rehashed, and any story that I keep will most likely be rewritten and re-uploaded. Sorry about this, but I want to keep it fresh, and I have new ideas that I want to incorporate. I also like to think that my writing style has changed, and want to re-do some of my stories with it.

However, there will be stories that get deleted. My little Twilight phase is long over, and those will be deleted in one week. If anyone wants to adopt them, please message me and I will allow you to do so.

Also, until that muse gets back in gear, my Harry Potter fanfictions will remain on an indefinite hiatus. I would offer them for adoption, but I still would like to play with them, but need time before I do so. My apologies.

I will first be working on Collision of Worlds, a Percy Jackson and HP crossover, or one of my Merlin stories. I will probably pick one or two of these stories, and rewrite them. However, they will not be changed until I am sure that I will be able to continue writing them, and have a backload of available chapters. I want to make sure that I don't fall into the trap of plot bunnies that go nowhere like I did last time.

Now for those that like lists, here they are.

**Deleted on January 19****th**

Not the Average Demigod

Home for Good

Wolfgoddess

**Continued Hiatus**

Rescued By a Muggle, Sorted to the Snakes

The Children's Saving Grace

**Potentially Re-written and Uploaded**

Collision of Worlds

Brothers United

Magic, Marriage and Mystery Galore

Runaway's Brought Home

**Remain as they are**

A Day Out in Paris

My Stepson's Eyes

Speak Now

Breathe

Again, my apologies to you all, but I need to clear out and refresh my life, and that includes my stories. I feel awful having WIPs on here that I know I will never update, or at least not update them the way they are. However, this is also my junior year of high school, so things will be busy. But I want to get started on this now, because by the time Spring Break comes in March, I should have already taken the HSPAs and SATs, so I will definitely be more productive by then. I want to have something out by February, but due to schoolwork and other commitments, that may not be possible. But even if I haven't shown it to the internet, by February on my computer, I will be working. By the end of March though, I should have something more out, even if it's just, "Here's a few rewritten chapters".

This AN will be removed when I have uploaded something for the story it was uploaded on, and will also be viewable on my profile, which will also be cleared out.


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